Latin Cuisines Advisory Committee named

The Culinary Institute of America has named a Latin Cuisines Advisory Committee to help oversee the development of future curricula at its San Antonio campus, which is at the Pearl Brewery.

The chairman is Rick Bayless, chef and owner of Frontera Grill, Tampolobampo and Frontera Fresco restaurants in Chicago. Frontera Grill was named best restaurant in the country this past year by the James Beard Foundation. For more on Bayless, click here.

Local members include:

Andrew Weissman, chef/owner of Le Reve and the Sandbar, 152 E. Pecan St.; Scott Cohen, former executive chef of Las Canarias and Pesca on the River; Johnny Hernandez, chef/owner of True Flavors Catering and the upcoming restaurant, La Gloria, at the Pearl Brewery; and James Sanchez, executive chef at Acenar. All are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America’s main campus in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Other members:

 Susan Fenniger, chef/owner of Border Grill in Santa Monica, Calif.

 Maricel Presilla, chef/owner of Cucharamama in Hoboken, N.J. Presilla is the author of “The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes.” She appeared at the San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival several years ago.

 Richard Sandoval, chef/owner of Modern Mexican Restaurants in New York.

 Arturo Rubio, owner of Huaca Pucllana in Lima, Peru.

 Robert Del Grande, chef/owner of Cafe Annie Houston

 Roberto Santibañez, chef who has worked at restaurants in New York

The school has also hired Iliana de la Vega of Oaxaca to teach Latin American cuisine at the San Antonio campus. Her first two courses, on Regional Mexican Cuisine: Peubla and Oaxaca and Mexico’s Corn Kitchen, will be offered to culinary professionals in late March and early April.

For more information about the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, call (210) 222-1113 or click here.